The one-way ticket makes the mission possible because it greatly reduces costs, and the technology for a return flight doesn't yet exist, according to Mars One's website. But at a news conference Monday, Lansdorp maintained that "no new inventions are needed to land humans on Mars."

The biggest obstacles, he said, are financial.

The company is hoping to gain much of its funding from media sponsors, according to reports.

And besides the plan itself, many scientists are skeptical about the ability to have a safe environment created for the astronauts.

"Questions of reliability and robustness have to be answered before we leave Earth," Grant Anderson of Paragon Space Development Corporation, which is joining the Mars One effort. Paragon builds and operates life support systems.

The company announced a casting call for candidates at a news conference Monday at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.

Anyone over age 18 may apply via video for a seat on board the rocket, but there is an application fee. For U.S. applicants, it's $38.

Lansdorp, however, doesn't undermine the dangers of living on Mars for such an extended period of time. For instance, he points out that all sicknesses and injuries would have to be taken care of alone.

"There will be emergencies and deaths," Lansdorp said, according to CNN. "We need to make sure that crew members can continue without those people."

Bathing with water will also not be an option. Yet researchers are hoping to collect and test technological data that could change lives in space and on earth.

Want to find out more about your possible one-way ticket to Mars? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.